Sri Lanka was struck by Cyclonic Storm Ditwah in late November 2025, the country’s deadliest weather-related disaster since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Made more likely and intense due to climate change, the cyclonic storm had devastating impacts on Sri Lanka, with over 2 million people affected, almost 650 fatalities, around 175 still missing, and billions of USD in losses and damages to infrastructure, property, agricultural land, and livelihoods.

These impacts highlight the urgent need for Sri Lanka as a climate-vulnerable developing country to strengthen climate disaster risk financing systems and to improve access to funding for relief, recovery, reconstruction, and long-term resilience-building. Climate-induced extreme events like Cyclonic Storm Ditwah underscore the disproportionate burden faced by vulnerable nations that have contributed minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions yet bear the brunt of climate impacts.

Positioned at the intersection of adaptation, risk management, and development, addressing loss and damage (L&D) requires an enhanced understanding of institutional readiness, available funding mechanisms, and strategic pathways for accessing finance and support. These efforts are necessary to complement and strengthen existing disaster response plans and frameworks. This includes enhancing understanding of the international financial architecture and knowledge on L&D such as the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage (SNLD), as well as other relevant multilateral and bilateral arrangements. Strengthened coordination across government institutions and non-state actors, including through multi-actor partnerships, is critical to enable effective access and deployment of risk financing instruments for enhanced climate resilience.

This summary report captures the porceeding of the High-Level Forum on Climate Finance and Climate-Related Extreme Events in Sri Lanka held on January 20th, 2026.